1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for adjusting behavior of a device, and particularly to a method for adjusting the behavior based on the device""s experience.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various controlling methods have been available for controlling a device in accordance with a user""s demand.
In such controlling methods, normally, the user sets a target value at output which the user wants, and the device is controlled in such a way that the output matches the target value, while feeding the output back to a control system which compares the feedback and the target value to adjust the output. In the above, by feeding the output back to the system to adjust the output, the output of the device to be controlled can approach the target value, thereby achieving control satisfying the user""s preference.
However, the above control system may not be appropriate in an area where the user can develop emotions such as companionship toward a device. Such a device includes toys, games, communication tools, search tools, and other tools and devices subjected to personal use. Further, if a target value is not determinable due to the system""s complexity or lack of information, the conventional control system does not work.
Furthermore, if a device senses numerous pieces of information, it is difficult to sort them out and use them as useful information to act thereon. If the device is operated solely in accordance with the user""s command, the above may not be a problem. However, for an autonomic device which acts without the user""s command, it is important to obtain meaningful information.
A general objective of the present invention is to provide a control system which enables a device to autonomously modify its behavior or performance through interaction with its external environment, i.e., based on its experience. That is a self-development system. The control system can generate pseudo-emotions which are used as a parameter for controlling behavior. The control system can collect information on an object of its own concern, and can store the information and update it by itself. This autonomous behavior system is advantageous, especially when applied to robots, toys, or games. The present invention has exploited a real-time basis behavior-adjusting system.
An embodiment of the present invention is a method for adjusting behavior of a device based on the device""s experience. The device comprises: (i) a sensing unit for sensing signals; (ii) a concern-generating unit programmed to generate concern-parameters; (iii) an emotion-generating unit programmed to generate emotion-parameters; and (iv) an actuating unit for actuating the device. The method comprises the steps of: (a) recognizing an object based on signals receivable by the device, said device having initial concern parameters; (b) extracting information, if any, on concern-parameters from a memory under at least the index of the object, said memory storing under the index of the object, information on concern-parameters previously generated by the device through past interaction with the object; (c) modifying the initial concern-parameters by the extracted information on concern-parameters; (d) actuating the device based on the modified concern-parameters and emotion-parameters generated by the device based at least on the modified concern-parameters; and (e) inputting in the memory, under the index of the object, concern-parameters generated by the device upon interaction with the object, thereby updating the memory. Accordingly, when the device is in a situation, the device recalls (extracts) memory relevant to the situation to obtain concern-parameters previously generated in the situation. The behavior of the device is regulated by concern-parameters in the memory and emotion-parameters generated based on the concern-parameters, and accordingly, the device can modify or improve its behavior.
In the above, in an embodiment, the emotion-parameters are generated based on a discrepancy between the current concern-parameters and the modified concern-parameters under predetermined rules. By using a hierarchical structure composed of a concern layer and a emotion layer, wherein the former is higher than the latter, the device can behave autonomously. Further, in an embodiment, the behavior is selected based on the modified concern-parameters, and is then modified based on the emotion-parameters under predetermined rules.
In the above, in an embodiment, the device further comprises a working memory which temporarily pools and stores information from the sensing unit, the concern-generating unit, and the first-mentioned memory until the device completes its action, and which outputs information to the concern-generating unit, the emotion-generating unit, the actuating unit, and the first-mentioned memory. Accordingly, processing becomes efficient.
The concern-parameters and the emotion-parameters can have any labels and definitions. For example, the concern-parameters can represent xe2x80x9csafetyxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9caffectionxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9chungerxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cplayxe2x80x9d, respectively, and the emotion-parameters can represent xe2x80x9chappyxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cangryxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9csurprisedxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9csadxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cfearfulxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cdisgustxe2x80x9d, respectively. The term xe2x80x9cneedsxe2x80x9d can be a synonym for the concerns. The definition of each label can be predetermined. The number of concern-parameters and the number of emotion-parameters are not limited. The larger the number of parameters, the more complex the behavior becomes. If an object-oriented language program, such as JAVA and C++, is used for parameter control, new labels can be automatically created, so that new behavior can be generated accordingly.
A device controlled by the above control system can behave autonomously and improve behavior based on its experience.
The present invention can be applied to a method as well as an apparatus. Further, the system need not be an integrated system, but can be composed of plural separate units. That is, by networking plural devices or by using a separable medium (CD or IC card), an individual device can be downsized without losing memory and programming capacities.